Field
The present disclosure relates generally to expandable implants and, more specifically, to orienting and positioning endoluminally-delivered expandable implants within the vasculature of a patient.
Discussion of the Related Art
Endoluminal therapies typically involve the insertion of a delivery catheter to transport a prosthetic implant into the vasculature through a small, often percutaneous, access site in a remote vessel. Once access to the vasculature is achieved, the delivery catheter is used to mediate endoluminal delivery and subsequent deployment of the implant via one of several techniques. In this fashion, the implant can be remotely delivered to achieve a therapeutic outcome. In contrast to conventional surgical therapies, endoluminal treatments are distinguished by their “minimally invasive” nature.
Endoluminally-deliverable expandable implants can be comprised of a graft or a stent component with or without a graft covering over the stent interstices. They can be designed to expand when a restraint is removed or to be balloon-expanded from their delivery diameter, through a range of intermediary diameters, up to a maximal, pre-determined functional diameter. The endoluminal delivery and deployment of expandable implants pose several unique problems. For example, the expandable implant itself must be constrained in a suitable introductory size (or delivery diameter) to allow insertion into the vasculature and mounted onto a delivery device such as a catheter shaft. In such configurations, the expandable implant can be difficult to navigate through vasculature that has significant bending or curvature.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide systems for endoluminal delivery of expandable implants to vascular treatment sites, particularly along tortuous vasculature, such as along the aortic arch.